Dec 6, 2007 12:47 PM

HELP! I'm afraid that I am not eating the right foods, the right amount at the right time, etc. I have always had a problem with food... though was only anorexic about a year in college. My problem is probably mental haha but still a problem. I know protein is super important and I try my hardest to get enough - but what is enough??

I'm 5'3", almost 28 years old and work out daily - well getting back to it. I took a month off of hard workouts after the MCM marathon - I still went to the gym or walked but nothing major. I will be starting up training again for April 26th marathon and I want to qualify for Boston so it is very important that I'm in peak condition... even this last time I felt I was in a great condition but not eating right...

Runner's World publishes a couple books about running and nutrition that you may find of use: Runner's World Performance Nutrition for Runners and Runner's World Runner's Diet. (They also have books about marathoning and women's running and about pretty much every aspect of running you can possibly imagine.) You can find the books on Amazon or you may want to check www.rodalestore.com (the publishing house that publishes the Runner's World books and also many other fitness and nutrition titles).

Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win.

Hi Kate, my name is keff and I have a similiar problem, i'm not anorexic but I've been running full time for the last year and a half. Right now my next challeng is marathon nutrition, I dont know what to eat and what not to eat. I see someone replyed and trying to sell you a book....lol. I guess its easy to take that route but I rather talk to people about it. How are you doing with your nutrition so far?

A good rule of thumb for protein intake is about 1 to 1.5 g. of protein per pound of body wheight. Of course try to choose proteins that are low in fat-like grilled chicken breast, grilled low-fat fish, canned tuna is great also! But if you are running a lot, don't forget the value of good for you fats-olive oil, nuts, avacados. The most important thing to remember is that no food is "off limit". You can have your cake and eat it too! Just not too much. Hope this helps a little bit, but reading books, magazines and other peoples posts if a great way to learn as well. Good luck with your training/eating and life in general.

A good rule of thumb is actually 1 to 1.5 grams protein per KILOGRAM body weight, or 0.5 to 0.75 gm protein per pound of body weight.

If you are restricting calories, you could appropriately consume more protein -- 0.80 to 0.,9 gm protein per pound -- because protein gets used for fuel when calories are low. My Sports Nutrition Guidebook has a chapter on protein, as well as ones on recovery and dieting gone awry. You might find it helpful.

I just started back into running about 3 weeks ago. I live in Kauai and have great trails to walk / run . . . . I also, like so many others need to lose some weight. I am49years old, 5-9 and weigh 178. When I gain weight, it is all over, but. . . . I would like to get back down to about 145-150. I have always been active and sports oriented. I am trying to eat healthy but, I have been so worried about eating less carbs and not so much protein...I eat lots of fruits and veggies . . . when I do work out, I feel weak and my legs are heavy. I rarely eat red meat, mostly fish, chicken and turkey. What is good to eat prior to working out and how long before should I eat?

I generally run / walk 2 miles (running more than walking now) then I go swimming in the ocean after. I find that after I am hungry and crave salty foods. Is that unusual? Anything that you can offer would be great....I saw your book and will be looking for that in the book store here on Island.

Sports nutrition is vital to the performance and recovery of endurance athletes, perhaps even more so than other athletes. Yet many endurance athletes ignore the importance of proper diet and nutrition during their training. Carbohydrates are important for fueling the body through long training workouts, but are you replacing the body's minerals that are lost or depleted due to exercise? There is now a pack of sports nutrition designed for endurance athletes that helps you do just that. Here is a comprehesive review of the Enduropacks product from a top ironman Triathlete :

Enduropacks Review by top Ironman Competitor and Coach Hague

Before I begin my actually review, it is important to state that I am always wary of supplements. Whenever I can avoid them, I do because, in my opinion, a person’s natural diet should provide enough nutrients without having to rely on a powder or pill. With that said, however, triathlons and training 15-20 hours a week is notnatural. When you put your body under so much stress, it does need a bit more help to recover even if it is from “unnatural” sources.

I am skeptical of over the counter vitamin and recovery supplements—you know the ones with a picture of a shirtless male or a lean cyclist on the front. Many studies show that multivitamins do little but give you expensive urine. The body does not absorb many of the nutrients and thus have little effect on health and well being. Moreover, some studies actually show that cheaper vitamins can be laced with harmful chemicals and toxins. Even with higher quality products, it is a gamble as to whether the pill/powder is doing any good or is just a sugar pill that acts as a nice placebo because you are spending so much money.

I have experimented with various supplements and vitamins with some success but nothing that was worth the price. I also could not find one, all-encompassing source. Instead I had to use several sources to get all my needs met. I felt like a senior citizen with all the pills that I was popping.

When EnduroPacks sent Tri Swim coach a sample to preview, I was dubious to say the least. Included in each EnduroPack is a month’s supply of a liquid multivitamin, electrolyte spray, post workout recovery patch, and a pre bed glutamine pill. To make this trial accurate, I treated as a self experiment and took every precaution that I could to control and isolate the variables. Over the course of the month that I was using the EnduroPacks my life pretty much remained the same. I trained the same total number of hours a week (15-20—although the ratio of zone 4 to zone 2 increased), ate the same diet consisting of vegetables, greens, fats, and lean protein, and kept the same work/sleep/train schedule. I tried to eliminate any potential confounding variable that would influence my recovery time and nutrient absorption.

Before beginning the regimen, I took my baseline heart rate variability (HRV) as well as tested my blood for vitamin levels. My HRV was consistently low at 75 (using the sweatbeat app) and my initial blood work showed that my omega 6 to omega 3 ratios were slightly out of balance, I was slightly deficient in my B vitamins, and was magnesium deficient. None of my levels were life threatening but they were low. Over the course of the 30 days I checked my HRV every morning and then got my blood work retested at the end of the experiment.

Since the pack consists of four different products I will review each one in order that I used it through the typical day.

Multivitamin: As I mentioned above, many multivitamins are either urine enhancers or sugar pills. If taking a multivitamin, it is import to look at what exactly is included in each dose, the added fillers, and the sources. Enduro pack uses all organic sources, is gluten free, and is vegan. Unlike my many vitamins on the market, it does not have any sugar but uses Xyiltol, a natural sugar substitute that does not raise glucose levels, nor does it have any artificial fillers. As recommended I took 1 tbsp per morning before my workout.

For the first few days, I did not notice a difference in performance, energy, or health but towards the end of the first week I noticed an increase in my endurance and I fatigued less on my longer rides and runs. Interestingly, my mind remained clear and focused during my workouts without any “brain fog” that sometimes descends as your muscles fatigues. My energy throughout the day also seemed to normalize and I no longer felt that I needed an afternoon nap to get through my evening workout.

At the end of this trial, my blood work had improved significantly. My omega fatty acid ratio had flipped and now favored omega 3s; my vitamin b levels were at the top end of the normal range, and my vitamin D and magnesium had doubled. My body was obviously absorbing the nutrients quite well. I cannot rule out that this drastic change could have been due to some unexamined element, but even my doctor, who is a bit of a homeopathic nut case, admitted that it was most likely due to multivitamin since I did not change my diet at all.

My only complaint about the multivitamin was the taste. While better than many that I have used in the past and the berry flavor did help, the taste still had a subtle hints of medicine. Given the changes in my blood work, I would give the multivitamin an “A-“ overall.

The Electrolyte spray: Phoenix in the summer is hot (my friend calls it “The Devils Butt-Hole”) and the temperature of my summer runs and rides usually were in the high nineties and the low hundreds. As a heavy sweater, I need to take in a lot of water and a lot of electrolytes to avoid dehydration and cramping which I have struggled with in the past. However, I do not like and vehemently oppose sugary drinks like Powerade and Gatorade. I typically use NUUN but it is hard to bring it with me on rides because the tabs can cake in the heat. I have used salt pills too with great success but once again they are not that convenient to bring and then consume on a ride or run. I would much rather drink my minerals rather instead of having to fumble for a pill in my bento box or fuel belt.

The spray bottle worked great and I was able to bring it with me on rides, runs, or at work and easily squirt into my water bottles to my desired concentration. If it was hotter or if I was sweating more, I would simply add in more. The taste too was much better than any of the “-ades” without any sugar. It had subtle hints of lemon lime but nothing syrupy or too sweet. More importantly, I never cramped nor faded because of the heat.

Overall I would give the spray a solid A for its convenience, taste, and efficacy.

Recovery patch and pre-bed pill: I am grouping these together because of their use. After each workout and after I had stretched and showered, I would apply the discrete pink patch to my abdomen or arm and leave it there for the rest of the day. The adhesive was strong enough that it did not peel off in the middle of the day. The patch I think is the best part of the pack. I found that my recovery time was cut in half when on it. I was able to recover from my morning session and be relatively fresh for my afternoon workout. Then, in the morning, I would wake up without sore muscles. I will say though that this does not mean I never felt tired. I did feel tired quite a bit which is typical, but while my brain might have been sluggish, my muscles and body were not. Unfortunately, no supplement can refresh your mind; only sleep and managing stress can do that.

My HRV throughout the month went from 75 to a consistent 85 or above with only a few days where it fell below 80. Given my training load this surprised me. I can not say for certain that this improvement in recovery was directly due to the patch/pill combo and not a placebo, but I will take it regardless.

My sole complaint about the patch was that it made me look either like I was on birth control (one of my coworkers gave me a very weird look when she saw it on my arm) or I was taking steroids, which one of my students accused me of doing.

Given my improvement of HRV and perceived recovery I would grade the pill and patch as another solid “A.”

The price is also appealing. When added up, monthly, high quality supplement expenses can exceed $100. To get a month supply for $60 (for the 12 month subscription package) and not have to worry about getting and taking several pills throughout the day is a steal. The price is still a little high but worth it for those who put themselves in unnatural training and racing situations. I would NOT recommend this for recreational athletes who train only once or twice a week at a low intensity, but if you are an intense athlete, who is looking for an extra edge to help speed recovery and stay healthy throughout heavy training blocks, then it is definitely a good investment

I would like to remind you that I am a case study of n=1. For me, the EnduroPack obviously worked whether actively or as a placebo; however, I will take any of the gains that I can get. As I begin training for my races next year I am definitely going to continue to use the pack.

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment below or contact me directly. chris at triswimcoach.com. Visit www.enduropacks.com for more information.

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